I see it all the time. Someone goes through the steps to sponsor and then they fail to show up properly for their new partner. Why does this happen? It could be that no one ever shared with them the responsibility part of sponsoring. Sponsoring means we are responsible for helping and serving. Taking someone through an initial training to get started is important, but what happens next is even more important. This is where being a good sponsor comes in.
The good news is that being a good sponsor is easy, and I will give you some key things that matter. Just follow these and you will be a sponsor people are glad to have.
- Be available- When your new partner needs you, be there for them. It’s not hard to show up if you genuinely care. If they call/text/email you respond in a timely manner. If they want your help in talking to someone or to be at their home for a meeting, be there. Let them know that you are building a business which means you are doing one of two things: helping people like them succeed or looking for new people who are serious about creating an income. If you are relatively new, don’t worry that you might not have all the answers for their prospects. Your story is the main thing you will have to contribute in addition to your support. Let them know up front when you are available so there is no false expectation. If there are certain nights of the week or days in the week when you can’t be reached, tell them.
- Be a resource- Once your new partner knows the steps to work and begins to take action, they will come to you for answers to all kinds of questions. Some you will have an answer and others you won’t. Everyone is different and hence, some people want more details than others. It is not necessary for you to be an expert (especially in the early stages of your business) in all things your company has to offer. It is important for you to know where to find all the answers. As the questions come at you, respond to them honestly. If you don’t know, say you don’t know but you know where you can find out. Then make sure they know where that answer came from so that they can access the source themselves in the future and be a resource for their future partners.
- Listen- Good sponsors are good listeners. Recognize that the people you sponsor are living in a world where they are not being listened to in general. Listening to them will be an investment of your time, but it will help build and strengthen the relationship which is the foundation of your future with this partner, in addition you will learn things that are important to them which will allow you to serve them better in their pursuit of their goals.
- Be a Positive Voice- Your new partner is surrounded by negativity in their life. Everywhere they turn. You need to be a positive voice. Tell them what you see in them and why their personality traits and strengths can be all they need to succeed. Especially early in the process they will be encountering all kinds of negativity from small thinking people they are prospecting, your words of encouragement and possibility for them are a lifeline.
- Walk your talk- Whatever you are telling them is best to do, you need to be doing it as well. You need to be a product of your company’s products, you need to be working in the field, in short, whatever you stand for, should be so obvious in the way you live and work, that you don’t even need to say it. This will show you to be a person of integrity.
Remember this: People do not develop loyalty to money. They develop loyalty to people. If you are a good sponsor, you will have strong relationships with the people you sponsor and have the foundation for a successful long term business. These five simple things I gave you are easy to do and require no special training. They only require that you care about the people you sponsor and are dedicated in serving them in the pursuit of their goals.
